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As it prepares to host Utah, Arizona is rebuilding from the ground up

Wildcats are leaning heavily on true freshman in 2017

Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez, right, heads off the field after greeting Washington coach Chris Petersen following an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, in Seattle. Washington won 49-3. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)

There wasn’t much sugarcoating.

Not by Rich Rodriguez.

At the Pac-12 Media Days in July, Arizona’s head coach laid out how, even as his team was recuperating from a 3-9 season — his first losing season in Tucson — the Wildcats would be quite young and inexperienced. Like in the ballpark of 50 new players to the program young. Entering his sixth season at Arizona, Rodriguez said 2017 would be “kind of a reboot.”

Preparing for the start of Pac-12 play Friday night at home against No. 23 Utah, the Wildcats — coming off a dismal 1-8 conference finish in 2016 — must ensure that last year was more of a temporary dip instead of a slow slide to the bottom. Arizona, now 2-1 this season, has already played 17 true freshman three games in.

Rich Rod out for a turnaround<br>Career at Arizona<br>2012 • 8-5 (4-5)<br>2013 • 8-5 (4-5)<br>2014 • 10-4 (7-2, Pac-12 South title)<br>2015 • 7-6 (3-6)<br>2016 • 3-9 (1-8)

Questions arose last year — and continued to hover — regarding how long Rodriguez could afford such a potential slide, if the seat of the 2014 Pac-12 Coach of the Year would begin warming if more losses piled.

The past is the past, said Pac-12 Network analyst Yogi Roth.

“I think it’s a reality, but this is a new team, it’s new personnel,” Roth said of the Wildcats. “They’re a team that will knock people off, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they won on Friday.”

Rodriguez, on the other hand, beamed on Monday at his weekly press conference, saying that after his team went through a fairly light practice Sunday back in Tucson after smoking UTEP 63-16 on the road, the youthful infusion around the program is being felt by the coaching staff.

“You would’ve thought we were practicing the day before the Super Bowl,” he said. “The enthusiasm was so good on a day with just vests and shorts. I’ve got a bunch of guys who love football. It’s fun to be around them. You’re always nervous when you’re not just playing young guys, but you’re still figuring things out a little bit. I like the team so far.”

No. 23 Utah at Arizona<br>Friday, 8:30 p.m. MDT<br>TV • FS1

Cody Ippolito, a Utah senior linebacker from Arizona, credits Rodriguez with changing the tone in Tucson. Ippolito transferred to Utah this year as a graduate after a standout career with the Wildcats was cut short due to three ACL injuries.

“Before [Rodriguez and his staff] were there, the team like wasn’t fully bought in,” Ippolito said. “They did a good job of letting everyone buy into the program.”

Ippolito was one of the several players Arizona had suffer serious injuries in 2016, which unfortunately he said, became a theme for the season. Former quarterback Anu Solomon suffered a season-ending foot injury and started just two games. Various injuries limited running back Nick Wilson, a former 1,000-yard back, to just five games in 2016. And the defense was also slammed with injuries.

“It’s hard to keep winning, winning, winning,” Ippolito said, “especially when you don’t have depth. Everyone just goes through those ups and downs.”

Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune Utah quarterback Troy Williams (3) runs for a second half touchdown for the Utes, in PAC-12 football action, Utah vs. The Arizona Wildcats, at Rice-Eccles Stadium, Saturday, October 8, 2016.

The former Wildcat linebacker said the parity in the Pac-12 South — five different division champs the last five years — lends to the notion that Arizona will not slog through several losing seasons in a row.

Roth agrees. Arizona has recruited well, he notes, and defensively have several underclassmen who will become stars of the program next year or beyond.

“It’s a team that’s going to keep evolving as the year goes on,” he said. “They’re just so young.”

And Rodriguez said he expects the Wildcats to utilize as many as three more true freshman as Pac-12 play commences against the Utes. It isn’t a surprise. The coaching staff was banking on expediting the future of the team with its influx of youthful talent.

“There are a lot of young guys, so you have to make sure you’re still keeping them focused,” Rodriguez said. “They know the importance of the league games and they know how good of a team Utah is. Also, when playing a top ranked team, they understand how much respect you can get if you win the game.”

An annual thorn in Utah’s side (4-1) since Rodriguez was hired, the Wildcats look to continue that trend with another upset.